Everyone Should Have a Merlin
by katierosefun
Summary: [Modern day AU one-shot. Kid!Arthur and kid!Merlin.] In the doctor's office, seven and a half year old Arthur is horrified to realize that everyone doesn't have a Merlin. How could ANYONE be able to survive without a Merlin?


**Hi, everyone! Katierosefun here! This is my second one-shot on _Merlin_. This was a request/challenge/whatever-you-call-it from Shining in the Darkness in her contest. I enjoyed writing kid!Arthur and kid!Merlin immensely-it was lots of fun. :) I apologize for how short it is...or how long it is, from your point of view. **

**Oh, and look at that...the song 'I'm a Slave For You' by Brittney Spears is on my radio...and I'm thinking about a Merlin crack video I watched just last night. [Sorry, that wasn't relevant...I just write down the first thing that comes to my head. XD]**

**If you liked this kid!Merlin and kid!Arthur fic, please go and check out my other story 'He's My Friend', which will be a multi-chapter fic about kid!Merlin and kid!Arthur. **

**Reviews make the world go 'round! Feedback and constructive criticism is welcome, but no flames, please. **

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Seven and a half year old Arthur Pendragon sat in the waiting room, swinging his legs from his seat. His blond hair fell across his eyes, which he wiped away indignantly. Where was Merlin? Where was his best friend?

He glanced longingly at the doctor's office. An unfriendly door was in the way of Arthur looking into the actual room, but he knew that Merlin was in there.

Arthur was worried. His father had just told them it was a simple checkup, but he had insisted on being with Merlin. In truth, he didn't think his father approved of him playing with Merlin because he was 'in a different social class' or something like that.

But Arthur didn't mind. Merlin was nice and friendly and he wasn't scared of him, either.

Arthur doesn't know _why_ people were so scared of him. All of the other children seemed to stumble over their words whenever they talked to him and he couldn't understand why. When he asked his father, he simply replied that he was a prince.

If being a prince meant that he wouldn't have any friends, Arthur wasn't really sure that he wanted to be one.

Now, Arthur waited impatiently for Merlin to come out of the doctor's office. It had been an entire _five minutes!_

Suddenly, he heard some sniffling in the corner of the room and Arthur turned to look at who it was.

A young girl with milk-chocolate skin and dark, curly hair was sitting on a chair, rubbing her eyes sadly.

"Why are you crying?" Arthur asked.

The girl looked up at him, her dark eyes shiny with tears. She was probably around Arthur's age, but he wasn't quite sure.

"I got a shot." The girl pointed at her sleeveless arm, and sure enough, a band aid with cartoons was on one of her biceps. She rubbed her eyes. "It hurt a lot."

Arthur frowned. "Don't you have a Merlin?" He asked, bewildered. "My Merlin always helps me when I get hurt."

"What's a Merlin?" The girl asked.

Arthur blinked, surprised. She didn't know what a Merlin was? No _wonder_ she's so sad! Everyone should have a Merlin.

Arthur wasn't really sure what he would do without Merlin. Who else would help this girl? Who else would be with her when she cries or is scared?

_Merlin always did those things for me, _he thought as the girl continued to sniffle.

"Come along, Gwen." A man said, walking into the waiting room. He took the girl's hand gently and kissed the top of her head.

"Daddy, what's a Merlin?" The girl—Gwen—asked as she wiped off the rest of her tears with a sleeve.

Arthur watched with wide eyes as Gwen and her father walked out of the room and frowned. Did the rest of the world not have a Merlin?

The door of the doctor's office suddenly swung open and a young, dark-haired boy came bouncing out. He had a lollipop in his mouth and another one in his hand. Merlin's father was talking quietly with the doctor, a white haired man named Gaius.

"Merlin!" Arthur jumped off his chair and his friend smiled, already extending the additional lollipop towards him.

Arthur took it and stuck it in his mouth. "Merlin, there was this girl," he said while sucking on the candy rigorously. "She said she didn't have a Merlin!"

His friend cocked his head. "Huh," he said quietly.

"She was crying." Arthur said thoughtfully. "I think I know why she was crying now." He looked back at Merlin, who was staring at the prince with the same curious expression.

"Shouldn't everyone have a Merlin?" Arthur asked at last.

Merlin took the lollipop out of his mouth and inspected it. "I think so." He replied matter-of-factly. "But I think there's only one of me."

Arthur smiled widely and wrapped his arms around his friend, his lollipop stick digging into Merlin's shoulder. "Okay," he said. "So you'll always be _my_ Merlin, right?"

The dark-haired boy grinned. "'Course," he replied cheerfully.


End file.
